The Cleveland Cavaliers were all set for a game against a struggling Denver Nuggets. A game we thought could provide LeBron James and the starters some rest. Instead the Cavs lost due to problems with Big and Small players. Problems that could be long term issues for the team. The Cavs are reportedly looking to trade for Corey Brewer but we aren’t sure if that answers either of the team’s current problems that were presented last night.
We will look at the Big and Small problems from last nights loss and then spin both issues forward related to the Cavs ultimate goal of an NBA Championship.
Big
The Cavs had trouble on the inside last night against the Nuggets who have a host of big players. The starting pair of Timofey Mozgov and Kenneth Faried combined for 22 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and a total +/- of +25. Backup power forward Darrell Arthur, the guy who pushed Dion Waiters in midair in the first match up, had 13 points and 11 rebounds, including 3-4 from three point land.
Defensively they caused trouble for the Cavs non-Kevin Love big men. Anderson Varejao had 0 points and only 4 rebounds and Tristan Thompson had 5 points and 7 boards. Coach David Blatt went with a small lineup for most of the game to try to combat the Nuggets Big advantage but to no avail. Andy only played 18 minutes while Thompson was limited to 23.
Looking forward the Cavs have to be concerned about their inside offense and defense. Their main threat in the East, the Chicago Bulls, are stacked with Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson. Those three big men can pound the Cavs down low and cause problems for the Cavs offensively in the paint. The East also has Marcin Gortat and Nene, In the West the Cavs could face Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan could all be foes if the Cavs make the NBA Finals.
Small
The Cavs beat the Nuggets in Denver when Ty Lawson missed the game. He was obviously a big catalyst to their win last night. Lawson torched whatever defender, except for LeBron James, was placed in front of him. He scored 24 points but also dished out 12 assists, taking advantage of when the Cavs defense rotated to him. Arron Afflalo also had a great game, 23 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Nate Robinson, in only 10 minutes, scored 9 points on 3 of 3 shooting from long range.
The Cavs have struggled to guard fast players. Kyrie Irving, for all his offensive skills, hasn’t shown the foot speed to be able to stay in front of players like Lawson and Robinson. Yet he also ins’t big enough to play physical against bigger guards like Afflalo. Dion Waiters has the strength to play solid defense but also lacks fundamentals to stay down on jitter bug type point guards, his back injury seemed to make it even more difficult last night.
Looking forward the Cavs could face a number of fast guards just in the East. Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry, John Wall, Derrick Rose, Jeff Teague, Deron Williams and Kemba Walker are all dangerous PGs the Cavs could face in the playoffs. The West has Mike Conley, Damian Lillard, Tony Parker, Chris Paul, the Phoenix trio and Russell Westbrook on teams that have even a chance to make it to the Finals. The Cavs could be in deep trouble, as they were in their last Finals appearance when Parker destroyed them.
Combination Problems
When you look at the list of players one thing should stand out: Some teams have Big and Small players playing together that could hurt the Cavs. The Bulls, Wizards, Grizzlies, Trailblazers, Spurs and Clippers all create combination problems for the Cavs. The Cavs will likely have to face one or both of the Bulls and Wizards to get out of the East while any number of Western Conference foes could create a big challenge. We didn’t even include the Thunder who will have Westbrook and Kevin Durant back healthy to join Serge Ibaka.
Answers
These two problems are why the trade for Corey Brewer doesn’t seem like it would solve the Cavs Big and Small issues. Brewer is a good perimeter defender but asking him to guard the likes of Chris Paul and Derrick Rose constantly during a playoff series is not a long term solution. He obviously doesn’t address the interior issues the Cavs will face as well.
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Who does? The Cavs have little to offer, while also matching salaries, without offering Thompson and Waiters. While neither player has excelled so far this season, the Cavs would be hesitant to include either in a trade. The Cavs can assume between 5 and 6 million dollars of contract into their Keith Bogans player exception and a few players could fit in there, but would it be enough to really change the course of the season for the Cavs?
Many will point to last night’s loss as an issue of effort or shooting. While both of those were issues at times during the game, the overwhelming issue was with the Big and Small players the Nuggets used to exploit the Cavs weaknesses. Can the Cavs find a counter or will this issue linger all season?
What do you think of the Cavs Big and Small problems?